Ballistic Missiles

Ballistic missiles are short-, medium-, and long-range rocket-propelled vehicles that deliver nuclear or conventional weapons. RAND's analyses help policymakers understand the potential uses of ballistic missiles for warfare and terrorism, the likelihood of their use by combatants, possible defense strategies, and emerging threats to the global security environment.

Research conducted by: RAND Project AIR FORCE; RAND National Security Research Division; RAND Arroyo Center

All Items (44)

Report

Crisis Stability and Long-Range Strike: A Comparative Analysis of Fighters, Bombers, and Missiles — Jun 19, 2013

In an international crisis, the United States must balance its threats with restraint while limiting its vulnerability. A RAND study sought to identify which long-range strike assets offer capabilities most conducive to stabilizing such crises.

Blog

Korea Tensions Different from Previous 'Normal Crises,' RAND Experts Tell Media — Apr 9, 2013

DPRK Kumsusan Memorial Palace

Three RAND Corporation researchers discussed the regional and global implications of the recent flurry of bluster and provocation emanating from North Korea, during a conference call April 9 with reporters.

Commentary

North Korean 'Satellite' May Fall from Sky, but That Won't Deter Kim Jong-Un — Dec 21, 2012

Kim Jong-Un's regime has placed outsized import on its missile launches—despite the risk of alienating the international community—to offset the lack of success across a wide range of topics, writes Bruce Bennett.

Commentary

North Korea's Just Getting Started — Dec 12, 2012

While many observers of North Korea have been surprised by the apparently peaceful ascension of Kim Jong-Un, there are reasons to believe that the situation in the North is not so stable, writes Bruce Bennett.

Commentary

Turkey Edges Toward Seeking NATO Support in Syria Crisis — Nov 21, 2012

As the crisis along the border between Syria and Turkey intensifies, Turkey appears on the brink of a formal request to the North Atlantic Council that NATO deploy Patriot missiles to help defend the border, writes Christopher Chivvis.

Report

Expendable Missiles vs. Reusable Platform Costs and Historical Data — Oct 3, 2012

This report presents an analysis of historical use of air-to-ground attacks to assess the economic wisdom of relying primarily on expendable weapons, such as cruise missiles.

News Release

RAND Stanton Research Fellows Issue New Studies Examining Nuclear Security Issues — Oct 2, 2012

Three Stanton Nuclear Security Fellows at the RAND Corporation—Robert Reardon, Markus Schiller, and David Kearn—have published new research examining nuclear security issues.

Report

Facing the Missile Challenge: U.S. Strategy and the Future of the INF Treaty — Sep 27, 2012

Report assesses whether the Intermediate Nuclear Forces Treaty continues to serve America's national interests, or whether adherence unduly constrains the U.S. ability to effectively respond to emerging security threats.

Report

Characterizing the North Korean Nuclear Missile Threat — Sep 27, 2012

Questions the current common view of the North Korean missile program and seeks to better characterize the North Korean missile threat by comparing the available data on the North Korea missile program against several possible hypotheses.

Report

Book by Noted Expert Proposes a Renaissance of Thought on Nuclear Deterrence for Today's Strategic Environment — Apr 17, 2012

A new book by the late French scholar Thérèse Delpech provides a critical review and update of nuclear deterrence theory, focusing a critical eye on nuclear issues during the Cold War, examining the lessons of past nuclear crises, and outlining ways in which these lessons apply to major nuclear powers and nuclear pretenders today.

News Release

Book by Noted Expert Proposes a Renaissance of Thought on Nuclear Deterrence for Today's Strategic Environment — Apr 17, 2012

A new book by the late French scholar Thérèse Delpech provides a critical review and update of nuclear deterrence theory, focusing a critical eye on nuclear issues during the Cold War, examining the lessons of past nuclear crises, and outlining ways in which these lessons apply to major nuclear powers and nuclear pretenders today.

Commentary

Getting Value from the U.S.-ROK Summit — Jun 15, 2009

For months, North Korea has been trying to upstage the summit between South Korean President Lee Myung-bak and U.S. President Barack Obama that is scheduled for June 16. Almost all Americans I know have heard of these North Korean provocations. But few have heard anything about the U.S.-ROK summit, writes Bruce Bennett.

Commentary

No Surprise in Failure To Deter N. Korea — Jun 2, 2009

North Korea's latest misbehavior highlights an uncomfortable truth: the failure of the United States and the international community to deter North Korean actions. In this case, it is pretty easy to see why North Korea has not been deterred, writes Bruce Bennett.

Commentary

N.K. Provocation Suggests Regime in Trouble — Apr 9, 2009

North Korea spent weeks preparing to launch a ballistic missile that could reach the United States. It argued that the launch was intended to put a satellite into orbit. But a space launch vehicle is a ballistic missile used for a modestly different purpose, writes Bruce W. Bennett.

Report

Strategy in the Missile Age — Oct 8, 2007

Classic work from 1959 that discusses the origins of air power, its cornerstone position in the evolution of Cold War era nuclear strategy, and its treatment of preventive and preemptive attacks, deterrence, and the economics of strategy.

Commentary

China's Challenge — Jul 29, 2007

China's Challenge, in San Diego Union-Tribune

Commentary

Missile Defense: Avoiding a Crisis in Europe — Mar 29, 2007

Published commentary by RAND staff: Missile Defense: Avoiding a Crisis in Europe, in International Herald Tribune.

Commentary

Nothing's Free in Dealing with Putin — Aug 1, 2001

Published commentary by RAND staff.

Commentary

There's a Better Way to Missile Defense — May 3, 2001

Published commentary by RAND staff.

Commentary

The China and Nuclear Reunion Is Only a Motive Away — Feb 24, 2001

Published commentary by RAND staff

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